Needle guard for knitting machines



March 13, 1962 F. BEERLI NEEDLE GUARD FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fnven or F. BEERLI NEEDLE GUARD FOR KNITTING MACHINES March 13, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 12, 1960 United States Patent NEEDLE GUARD FOR KNITTING MACHINES Fridolin Beerli, Zollikon, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor,

by mesne assignments, to Paliz-Holding A.G., Zug,

Switzerland Filed Sept. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 55,284 Claims priority, application Switzerland Sept. 11, 1959 9 Claims. (Cl. 66-60) In order to produce patterns with knitting machines having a plurality of displaceable needles only a part of the needles are subjected to the action of the cams, while another part remains in a retracted position, and does not participate in this knit-ting process. The same is true in certain machines such as jacquard machines, with respect to the jacks and when hereinafter mention is made of needles, it will be understood that the statements also apply by analogy to jacks.

It is of essential importance to separate the needles Which participate in the knitting (the Working needles) in such a way from the needles which are not participating in this process (rest needles) that a rest needle cannot come into the region of the working needles or vice versa due to inattention or, for instance, in the case of knitting apparatus with relatively oblique needle beds.

For this purpose, longitudinally displaceable needle guards have been proposed. These needle guards were essentially developed as metal strips which could be pushed in and out laterally over the knitting apparatus and against the upper edge of which the working needles would strike while the rest needles were held below their lower edge.

The needle guards of this type had the disadvantage that they had to be pulled out laterally in order to replace working and rest needles and frequently pulled over the entire length of the needle bed, which was not only unfavorable from a standpoint of the operation of the machine, but also required a large amount of space to the side of the apparatus to accommodate the movements of the needle guard.

The object of the present invention is to provide a needle guard which makes actuation, i.e., release of the firmly held rest needles possible in a simple manner without any lateral space to the side of the apparatus being required.

The longitudinally displaceable needle guard in accordance with the present invention is characterized by the fact that it is formed as a locking comb, in which connection there is provided for each needle or each jack a space between two teeth, which space is large between the heads of the teeth that the width of a needle or jack butt and is widened between the bases of the teeth toward the same side to form a notch for the corresponding needle or jack butt.

One embodiment by way of example of the subject matter of the invention is shown in the drawing, partially schematically.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top view, partially in section;

FIG. 2. is a front elevation;

FIG. 3 is a section along the line III-III of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a section along the line IV--IV of FIG. 1.

In the embodiment shown, the needle guard is combined with a hand-knitting apparatus, the frame 1 of which, with the needle bed 2 fastened to it, is only partially shown in the drawings. The lower edge of the needle bed 2 is surrounded by a U-shaped slide rail 3 which is fastened to the needle bed in a manner not shown in the drawing. This slide rail 3 serves as guide for a locking rail 4 which is also substantially U-shaped or channel shaped and serves as a needle guard.

The rail 3 has its web portion formed with two longitudinally spaced apart window-like openings 3a which lie over somewhat wider recesses 2a formed in the edge of the needle bed. Guide means 6 are provided and are disposed in the openings 30: and recesses 2a and are connected to the locking rail 4 by means of bolts 5a. Each guide means 6 includes two square nuts or parts 6a and 612 having centrally disposed threaded bores to threadingly receive the shanks of the bolts 5a. The heads 5 of the bolts overlie the openings in the web portion of the rail 4 through which openings the shanks pass.

The square par-ts 6a and 6b are of diiierent Widths with the smaller part 6a being disposed in the opening 3a and being of a thickness substantially equal to the depth of the opening and being of a width less than the width of the opening. The larger part 6b is disposed in the recesss 2a and is of a greater width than the width of the opening 3a to extend behind the rail 3 and secure the rail 4 in longitudinal sliding position on the rail 3. The part 6b is of a thickness slightly less than the depth of the recess 2a and is of a Width less than the width of the recess.

In this way, the locking rail 4 is mounted for limited and guided reciprocatory sliding movement on the rail 3 and is movable longitudinally with respect thereto and to the needle bed while being retained in secure engagement with the rail 3.

Adjacent one end of the locking rail 4, a lug 4a is cut out and bent inwardly toward the needle bed where it extends through a corresponding wider window 3b of the guide rail 3 into a recess 2b of the needle bed. A spring 7 supported in said recess rests at one end against said lug and on the other end against the one wall of the recess 2b and thus against the needle bed so that the spring tends to push the locking rail 4 toward the left in FIGS. 1 and 2 with respect to the guide rail 3 and the needle bed 1 and to hold it resiliently in the blocked position shown in said FIGS. 1 and 2.

Adjacent the opposite end of the locking rail 4, opposite the lug 4a, an actuating handle 8 is attached to the web portion of the rail 4 and projects laterally outwardly therefrom. The locking rail 4 can be moved to the right in FIGS. 1 and 2 against the action of the spring 7 by the handle until the locking rail abuts against a stop 9. If the handle 8 is released, the return spring 7 effects the return of the locking rail 4 into the blocking position.

The locking rail 4 is formed at one leg portion as a comb with teeth 10 pointing away from the guide rail, a space 12 being provided between two adjacent teeth 10 for each need-1e 1 1 or needle butt 11a, and the distance between two such spaces corresponding to the distance between two adjacent needles or needle butts. These spaces 12 have in the vicinity of the teeth heads 10a a width which is somewhat greater than that of the needle butts 11a so that when these spaces lie in the axis of the corresponding needles, the corresponding needle butts can pass through said spaces. In the region of the tooth bases 10b, on the other hand, these spaces are all widened toward the same side, in FIG. 1 toward the right, to form notches 13, the length of these notches being such that a needle butt readily finds room in them. The amount by which these notches 13 are wider than the spaces in the vicinity of the tooth heads 10a corresponds at least approximately to the amount by which the locking rail 4 is longitudinally displaceable with respect to the guide rail 3.

In FIGS. 1 and 3 there are shown needles 11' which participate in the knitting process (working needles) while the rest needles are designated 11". The working needles 11' lie, without being influenced by the knitting cams, on the top edge of the teeth 10 while the needles 11" are held in the notches 13 so that one of the rest needles could not pass into the region of the operating needles either by a particularly oblique needle bed or by an unintentional manipulation, or vice versa.

If the needles are now displaced out of the rest position into the working position or vice versa, by known means such as by a corresponding comb, it is sufficient by means of the handle 8 to move the locking rail 4 to the right in FIGS. 1 and 2 by the amount defined by the stop 9 whereby the spaces 12 come to lie in the vicinity of the tooth heads above the correspoding needle guides so that the needle butts can pass in both directions through said spaces from the rest position into the working position and vice versa. As soon as the selection of rest and working needles has been completed, the handle 8 is released and the spring 7 brings the locking rail 4 back into the blocking position shown in which the butts of the rest needles are held in the notches while the butts of the working needles are against the upper edge of the looking rail.

In the way, it is possible, in a simple and dependable manner, and without any lateral space at the ends of the machine being necessary, to bring about the separation between the rest and working needles and then eliminate such separation.

I claim:

1. For use with a knitting machine having a plurality of displaceable needles, a longitudinally displaceable needle guard having a comb portion defined by a plurality of spaced apart teeth, each needle having associated with it a space between two adjoining teeth of the comb portion, each space being larger between the heads of the adjoining teeth than the width of a needle butt and being widened between the teeth bases to form a notch for the corresponding needle butt.

2. For use with a knitting machine having a plurality of displaceable needles, a longitudinally displaceable needle guard having a comb portion defined by a plurality of spaced apart teeth, each needle having associated with it a space between two adjoining teeth of the comb portion, each space being larger between the heads of the adjoining teeth than the width of a needle butt and being widened between the teeth bases to form a notch for the corresponding needle butt, each of said spaces being widened toward the same end of the comb portion.

3. In combination with a knitting machine having a needle bed with a plurality of needles having butts, a needle guard comprising a rail member, means mounting the rail member on the needle bed for longitudinal movement transverse to the needles and adjacent to the needle butts, said rail member having a comb portion defined by a series of spaced apart teeth paralleling the needles and creating a series of spaced apart spaces, each needle having associated with it a space between two adjoining teeth, each space being larger between the heads of the teeth than the width of a needle butt and being widened between the bases of the teeth to provide a notch for the corresponding needle butt.

4. In combination with a knitting machine having a needle bed with a plurality of needles having butts, a needle guard comprising a rail member, means mounting the rail member on the needle bed for longitudinal movement transverse to the needles and adjacent to the needle butts, said rail member having a comb portion defined by a series of spaced apart teeth paralleling the needles and creating a series of spaced apart spaces, each needle having associated with it a space between two adjoining teeth, each space being larger between the heads of the teeth than the width of a needle butt and being widened between the bases of the teeth to provide a notch for the corresponding needle butt, said spaces being widened toward the same end of the rail member.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein resilient means is connected to the rail member for holding it in a position wherein certain of the needles which are to be in rest position are held at their butts in the notches.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein means is provided for moving the rail member longitudinally in opposition to the resilient means.

7. The combination of claim 4, wherein resilient means is connected to the rail member for holding it in a position wherein certain of the needles which are to be in rest position are held at their butts in the notches and means is provided to limit the longitudinal movement of the rail member.

8. The combination of claim 3, characterized by the fact that the longitudinal movement corresponds at least aproximately to the difference between the width of the notch and the width of the space between two adjacent tooth heads.

9. The combination of claim 7, characterized by the fact that the means for limiting the longitudinal movement are so dimensioned in the direction of action of the resilient means that the resilient means holds the rail member resiliently in a blocking position in which the spaces between two adjacent tooth heads are displaced with respect to the paths of movement of the needle butts while the notches lie in said paths of movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

